Whiteclay, Nebraska

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Whiteclay (Census Bureau place name: Pine Ridge) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sheridan County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 14 at the 2000 census.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 History
4 External links

[edit] Geography

Whiteclay (Pine Ridge) is located at 42°59′37″N, 102°33′34″W (42.993658, -102.559497)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 2.5 km² (1.0 mi²). 2.3 km² (0.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (8.33%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 14 people, 7 households, and 3 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 6.1/km² (15.8/mi²). There were 9 housing units at an average density of 3.9/km² (10.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 35.71% White and 64.29% Native American.

There were 7 households out of which 14.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were married couples living together, and 57.1% were non-families. 57.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.00 and the average family size was 3.33.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 21.4% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 35.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 75.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.3 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $61,250, and the median income for a family was $76,250. Males had a median income of $25,625 versus $53,750 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $21,394. None of the population or the families were below the poverty line.

[edit] History

Whiteclay's history has always been tied to that of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, which is on the South Dakota side of the border. When the boundaries of the Pine Ridge reservation were originally established, a 4-square mile tract of land in Nebraska was included within the reservation, which included the Whiteclay community. In 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt signed an executive order that removed the Nebraska land from the reservation; the legality of this order has been disputed. Ever since, Whiteclay has been notable primarily for the vast quantities of alcohol sold to residents of the legally dry Pine Ridge reservation.

The status of Whiteclay's beer stores became a volatile political issue in the late 1990s, as a pair of unsolved murders in 1999 led to a series of marches and rallies led by various activist groups (including the American Indian Movement (AIM) and Nebraskans for Peace) demanding that the state of Nebraska revoke the area's liquor licenses and increase law enforcement in the area. The nearby tribal law enforcement (in Pine Ridge, South Dakota) had no legal authority in Whiteclay, and the nearest Nebraska-based law enforcement is in Rushville, which is 22 miles to the south.

On August 30, 2005, the state of Nebraska and the Pine Ridge reservation signed an agreement allowing tribal officers to enforce Nebraska laws in Whiteclay.[1] Whiteclay's liquor stores remain open, ensuring that it will continue to be a major political issue for the foreseeable future.